Narrative:A Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA) DC-2 crashed near Atlanta, MO, killing five of the eight persons aboard. Senator Bronson M. Cutting (R-N.Mex.) was among the fatalities. A Bureau of Air Commerce report cited the accidentís causes as the U.S. Weather Bureauís failure to predict hazardous weather and misjudgements by the pilot and TWA ground personnel. In June 1936, however, a committee chaired by Sen. Royal S. Copeland (D-N.Y.) issued a report alleging that the tragedy was caused by malfunctioning navigational aides and voicing other criticisms of the Bureau of Air Commerce. The controversy gave impetus to legislative efforts that eventuated in the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 which included establishing an independent Air Safety Board.

Probable Cause:

It is the opinion of the Accident Board that the probable direct cause of this accident was an unintentional collision with the ground while the airplane was being maneuvered at a very low altitude in fog and darkness.The probable contributory causes of this accident were:(a) A forecast by the United States Weathcr Bureau which did not predict the hazardous weather that developed during the latter part of the forecast period.(b) Improper clearance of the airplane from Albuquerque by the company's ground personnel because of their knowledge that the plane's two-way radio was not functioning on the western night frequency.(c) Improper control by the company's ground personnel at Albuquerque for not calling the airplane back or ordering it to stop at an intermediate point when it was found that two-way radio communication could not be established.(d) Error on the part of the pilot for proceeding in the flight after discovcring that he was unable to effectively comunicate with the ground.(e) Failure of the company's ground personnel at Kansas City to expeditiously redispatch the airplane to a field where better weather existed when it bccame apparent that the ceiling at Kansas City was dropping to and below the authorized minimum for landing and while the airplane still had sufficient fuel to meet the Department of Commerce requirement of 45-minute fuel reserve after effecting a landing.